School separates races for TAKS talk

Katy school separates races for TAKS assemblies

HELEN ERIKSEN, Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, March 29, 2007

Administrators at a Katy school are facing criticism from parents after holding separate assemblies for black, white and Hispanic students to address low scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.

The assemblies at Mayde Creek High were held for ninth- and 10th-grade students of different ethnicities to discuss steps to boost scores on the state-required test, said district spokesman Steve Stanford. He said only students at risk because of their scores were called to the meetings, and that no negative message was intended.

"The purpose was to encourage and to help at-risk students," Stanford said.

But Amber Queen, whose son is in the ninth grade, disagreed with the decision.

"I would think that they would bring all kids and talk to them at once," she said.

School principal O.D. Tompkins, who is black, decided to hold the sessions, Stanford said. He said test scores at Mayde Creek have lagged, and a higher proportion of students are at risk of failing the math and science portions than at some other district high schools.

The first meeting, held before spring break, assembled black students. The sessions for Hispanic and white students were held after spring break.

Kevin Tatum, co-founder of the Katy Citizen Watchdogs, which monitors school performance and spending, said he did not yet have all the facts. "But if they did separate by race, what was the point?" he asked.

Stanford said students were segregated because that's how the state looks at and reports achievement. The separate assemblies apparently did not violate district rules, Stanford said.